Ms. Bianca Salamon will join the WIS community as the School Counsellor with effect from September 2024. The Oryx caught up with her, and here is what Bianca had to say:
Bianca Salamon, please tell us about yourself.
I’m a Namibian born and bred, but only moved back to Windhoek about 3 years ago after several years of studying and working in South Africa and the UK. It was after spending months alone during the COVID-19 pandemic, while living in Edinburgh that I decided it was time to come home, which I'd never stopped missing. My own ‘international’ flavour is that my father is Hungarian. I’ve travelled some in Hungary and one of my intermittent hobbies is trying to improve my wobbly Hungarian.
Could you tell us a little about your experience, and about your approach to being a school counsellor?
My professional experience is fairly broad, with the common theme of working in helping roles with people of different ages from children to older adults and in a wide range of different contexts. I am a people person, though an introverted one and my favourite part of the work I do is learning about the person or people I’m working with and exploring together the things that matter to them.
My counselling approach is person-centred or child-centred and trauma-informed. I’m led by the individual I’m working with in terms of what we explore, how we work and the pace we work at. I trust that the person I’m working with is best placed to decide what is important to them and I aim to provide a safe space where the child or young person feels able to explore freely what they want to, without fear of judgement. I’ve found that counselling can help build self-awareness, self-acceptance and self-confidence and the ability of the individual to both listen to and trust their own experience as something of value that can be a sound guide. In this school counsellor role, I look forward additionally to working collaboratively with the existing support around the children and young people I’ll be seeing.
People often like to know the academic and professional qualifications of staff at WIS. What and where have you studied and through which health councils are you registered?
My first degree was in Speech and Language Pathology at the University of Cape Town and I’m currently registered as a Speech Therapist with the Health Professions Council of Namibia. I did an MA in Person-centered and experiential counselling and psychotherapy at the University of Nottingham in the UK which I completed in 2018. I am registered with the British Association of Counseling and Psychotherapy.
What do you do when you aren’t working? What do you do for fun?
Some mountain biking, walking and generally being outside, quite a bit of reading, as well as phases of knitting, though I’m less motivated to do this in the height of a Namibian summer. I’ve loved travelling around Namibia again since moving back. I also love to cook. Since returning to Windhoek, I’m enjoying seeing my parents more as well as picking up again with some old childhood friends.
What are you most looking forward to in this role at WIS?
My impression of WIS is of a forward-thinking school that takes a holistic, whole child, whole community approach to education and aims to support its students in developing all their different potentials towards becoming active, engaged and confident adults and global citizens. I’m looking forward to being part of this vibrant school community and continuing and developing the work of the well-established, dynamic and valued school counselling service.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
I look forward to getting stuck into this exciting, multi-faceted role and learning more about the school and the different people who make up this community over the coming months and years. Do say hi if you see me around!